Just Friends
by WerewolfDoctor
Summary: Monica and Chandler are just friends. Honestly. A/U Mondler


A/N – I don't write much romance and I'm not great at it, so please review and be kind.

…

Chandler strode into Monica's apartment. It turned out that the roommate that he hadn't really wanted was a great guy, and seemed to have the potential to become a great friend.

"Do you have any beers? We're out of beers," he asked Monica cheerfully as she walked out the shower in nothing but a towel. Things like that might bother some people, but they had been friends long enough that it didn't matter to them.

Monica gestured to the fridge, "Help yourself," then turned and started to walk to her bedroom.

"Y-you okay?" Chandler asked, though obviously he knew the answer. He was hardly the best at the comforting thing, but he couldn't just leave her looking so miserable.

"Phoebe moved out,"

"Right," they had all known it was coming, even Monica, on some level. If ever there was a personality clash it was Monica, who bordered on OCD and Phoebe who lived in, well, PhoebeLand. Phoebe and Monica were great friends, but they would never make good roommates, but that wasn't what Monica needed to hear right now.

"Am I so hard to live with? Is _this_ why I don't have a boyfriend?"

"No. You don't have a boyfriend because … I don't know why you don't have a boyfriend. You _should_ have a boyfriend."

And all of a sudden his thoughts went a place they definitely shouldn't be.

"I think so." Monica's voice was still small and vulnerable and Chandler pulled his thoughts down to Earth. Monica needed a friend right now, not some horny guy who would take advantage of how much she wanted to feel loved.

No matter how good she looked in just a towel.

"C'mere," he said, pulling her into a hug, "_you_ are one of my favourite people, _and_ the most beautiful person I've ever known in real life." And so he held her _like any good comforting friend would_ he told his brain, which was still having thoughts it shouldn't. His brain didn't believe him, "This feels good," he murmured without really thinking as he stroked her towel (it really was 100% cotton she told him later).

"Yeah. Yeah, it does," Monica agreed, and all of a sudden Chandler wasn't sure what they were talking about any more.

Later, if pushed, Chandler would've blamed it on the towel. It just felt so good, stroking it, and then, it slipped.

It. Slipped.

It had slipped and all rational thought had flown from his brain.

…

They lay in Monica's bed, the unspoken question between them – had they ruined everything? Were they still friends? Or were they something … more?

"So," said Chandler eventually,

"So," Monica replied,

"How – how you good?" Chandler mumbled,

"I'm good." Monica muttered, "You?"

"Yeah, fine. So, um, that was, er,"

"I know,"

"I mean, we're friends," said Chandler,

"Can't ruin the friendship," Monica agreed,

"We're good at being friends,"

"The best," said Monica proudly,

"Anyway, Joey's expecting me to bring beer. I, er, just remember, you're amazing, and if you don't have a boyfriend it's because they're stupid," Chandler said, quickly getting embarrassed. He really wasn't good at the comforting thing, but he knew he had to say something. Monica smiled shyly,

"Thanks."

…

They never planned to do it again. They were the best of friends and they didn't want to ruin that, the whole thing was put aside as 'a great time but not something to be repeated.'

And neither of them thought about it or got jealous when new boyfriends or girlfriends came around. Honestly. But the jealously, when it came, was just a murmur for both of them, something that could be easily ignored.

…

After Richard Monica was a wreck. She had honestly believed that he was the one she could spend the rest of her life with, and he would have been but for that little thing that affected so much. The worst thing was she couldn't blame anybody for the way things had turned out. The age thing had never affected their relationship once they had got past the fear of telling her parents, what did affect it was what they wanted from life. Richard had done the father thing, had loved being a father, and now loved being a grandfather (though he was still getting used to the idea) but he had no desire to go back to being a father, to the babies, and she couldn't fault him for that. But she wanted children. She wanted to be a mother, and she needed to be a mother with someone who wanted to be a father, not just someone who was doing it to make her happy, because he loved her. And that was truly the worst, that he loved her so much that he would do something so big, but she still had to let him go.

…

Chandler watched Monica. She wasn't sleeping, she had gone back to comfort eating and she didn't even get dressed most days, just wandered around in her dressing gown. So he watched, wishing he could help, but with no idea what to do.

Eventually he went over to talk to her, tried to play the comforting friend. Almost inevitably, it happened again.

…

"Y'know, this probably isn't healthy," Monica said as they lay in bed the morning after, not sounding too displeased about the fact.

"I know," Chandler agreed, making no attempt to move from his very comfortable position.

"Maybe … maybe this could be something we did," Monica suggested cautiously, "like, we'd still be friends, but we'd have sex when … y'know. Whatsit called … friends with benefits sort of thing. We'd have to make rules like, not when either is dating, 'cos that'd be cheating."

"That would be perfect," Chandler agreed emphatically,

"And nobody else can know. Ever."

"Never ever."

…

_If I was the last man on Earth, would you go out with me?_

It was a joke, they both knew it was a joke, a joking reference to this … _thing_ they had between them. This thing she wasn't prepared to put a name to, so she laughed, cocked her head and carried on playing the game.

And it kept on happening, they kept on falling into bed together, more and more often, with neither prepared to admit just how attached they'd become to each other.

Then came Kathy.

It truth, Monica liked Kathy; she was fun, friendly and just plain exuded likeability, this woman who had stolen Chandler's heart and now refused to give it back.

Monica had watched him pine over Kathy, watched when no other woman would do for him, watched his joy when he had finally won Kathy and made up with Joey, and she finally admitted to herself what she truly felt for Chandler and buried it deep down, because he could never, ever know. It would ruin everything. What made it worse was he came to her first with all his news because she was, in his words, his closest friend.

Then came Kathy's betrayal. Chandler was, predictably, devastated. Inevitably he ended up clinging to Monica for comfort and support and they ended up closer than ever.

Monica didn't think she'd ever hated another woman as much as she hated Kathy now. Sure, there was a small (selfish) part of her that was glad that Kathy was no longer dating Chandler, but Monica would hate unto eternity any woman, or any man, for that matter, who hurt Chandler.

As for Chandler himself, he happily moved through the stages of getting over a woman, though he found that the only woman he ever really imagined naked these days was Monica. He told himself that that was she was the friend (and emphasis on that word friend, _friend_, though why he needed to convince anybody he wasn't quite sure) he happened to be sleeping with when the desire arose. Which seemed to be quite often these days.

…

Then came London, which changed everything.

…

"My Mum's right, I'm never going to get married," said an ever so slightly drunken and depressed Monica,

"You know, that's just … just, who wouldn't want you?"

"Well you, for one," alarm bells immediately started ringing in Monica's head, why was she bringing this up? It could ruin their whole friendship. She was obviously more drunk than she realised.

"Sure, I want you," Chandler replied, obviously confused. Well, thought Monica, if she was going to ruin this she might as well ruin it properly and explain what she meant,

"Well sure, you want to sleep with me, but an actual relationship? Huh, never,"

The silence stretched and Monica was about to turn and run until Chandler said, taking even himself by surprise,

"We do have a relationship,"

"What?"

Chandler looked at Monica and finally understood what he felt for her and so he continued, "We do have a relationship, and it might be the most dysfunctional relationship that ever existed but it is a relationship and I do care for you. I care for you more than I've ever cared for anybody. More than Kathy, though I was too stupid to realise it at the time, thinking I was in love with her. I didn't know what love was. If you want to make this … whatever this is official then I will be so happy."

Monica beamed.

…

Joey rushed into the room without bothering to knock. Why would he? It was his room as well.

"Hey Chandler, where are those condoms you…" Joey trailed off as he finally noticed the two figures in Chandler's bed looking like deer caught in the headlights having hastily pulled the sheets to cover themselves.

"Guess you're kinda using them then," Joey said eventually,

"Yeah," said Chandler

"Are you two a couple now?"

Chandler and Monica looked at each other. Were they? They had come to a sort of agreement, but it had been so rushed. They gave each other a small nod. They couldn't deny it any more.

"Yes Joey. Yes we are. Since just now, really,"

"Wow, that is so weird. And huge! I gotta-"

"Joey you can't tell anyone," Chandler said hurriedly,

"Aw man, I hate secrets,"

"Just until after the wedding at least, we don't want to ruin Ross and Emily's day by causing a big fuss," said Monica quickly, then whispered to Chandler, "we'll decide what to do later,"

…

Monica and Chandler were actually very nervous about announcing their relationship to the rest of the group, but Joey made them do it. After all, they had promised and he couldn't stand the pressure of keeping their secret. Much to Chandler's pride he only freaked out a very little bit when talk of marriage and babies started getting bandied about by the rest of the group

…

"I can't help it, I won't stand for it any more" Joey burst out, dropping the box he was carrying, "I hate her. We all hate her!"

"You all feel like this?" Ross asked,

"We just think that you're sacrificing a lot," explained Monica, even though she really agreed with Joey. Emily had changed and was acting overly needy and entirely manipulative.

"Why don't we have this conversation when one of you guys gets married," said Ross, getting angry, "this is what marriage is like. Sometimes you have to compromise. You may not like it, but you do it, to make it work, because it's worth it."

Chandler found himself staring at Monica whilst Ross was ranting about marriage. He barely heard Monica start to apologise.

_Marriage…_

_Do you think?_

_When one of you guys gets married_

_To Monica? Maybe…_

_Wow … thinking about marriage and I haven't run away yet…_

_You know that's all Monica, she's been gradually making you sane, Bing_

_Even if you are still talking to yourself_

_But this is important. You weren't thinking about marriage before_

_But Monica…_

_Yes…_

_That's it. Monica_

_Monica in a white dress … down the aisle_

_Okay, one day, Monica is going to be the girl I'm going to marry_

_Okay, now I'm going to run away_

_From my brain. And my thoughts. That's not possible. Ah_

_Oh, shut up. You know you like the idea of Monica in that white dress._

"Chandler, what are you smiling about?"

…

A/N – The final scene comes from season five when Ross has to move out of his apartment to patch things up with Emily and ends up talking about marriage. As in the story, in the episode, Chandler looks at Monica when Ross is talking about marriage and I always like to think it means something.


End file.
